While Mexican-inspired meals, like tacos, quesadillas and tortilla soup, may be in frequent dinner rotation in your home, there’s perhaps no better day of the year to cook them up than today, Cinco de Mayo. Celebrate the event with an impromptu fiesta complete with an inspired spread featuring rich refried beans, Rachael’s fresh guacamole and Alton’s tres leches cake for dessert. As a main course, skip such meaty dishes as fajitas and burritos and instead focus on chiles rellenos; showcasing peppers and cheese, these over-the-top indulgences are often naturally vegetarian.

Food Network Kitchen’s top-rated Chiles Rellenos (pictured above) is a fan-favorite recipe packed with the bold flavors of poblano peppers and tomato sauce spiced with a serrano chile. After charring the poblanos, stuff them with Mexican string cheese and dunk them in flour and a cumin beer batter to create the light coating ideal for deep-frying. The key to making these chiles lies in the stuffing process; after filling them with cheese, it’s important to seal the openings shut with a toothpick so the cheese doesn’t seep out into the oil. Serve these crispy, golden-brown beauties atop the smooth tomato sauce for an impressive plate worthy of Cinco de Mayo.

More Delicious Destinations

Latest Food Network Pins on Pinterest

This impressive-looking appetizer is a snap to make, thanks to a shortcut ingredient: refrigerated pizza dough.

Recipe of the Day: Cheesy Breakfast Cornbread Casserole Sidestep the bacon-and-eggs breakfast in favor of a hearty bake that doubles down on corn. It starts with a creamed corn base that's loaded with ham and kale, and it ends with a cheddar-packed cornbread topping that puffs and spreads as it bakes.

Warm up with this festive hot chocolate spiked with tequila and a pinch of chili powder.

This traditional Eastern European dessert features a chocolate and almond filling and a sugary streusel topping.